Page 45 of Mine to Protect

“However, I needed to focus on myself. And I had to do that alone. So, I didn’t date. Anyone. And no casual sex.” He paused to polish off his wine. “Eventually, I got back out there, but to be honest, I never lasted with anyone for more than a few months.”

“What about before Krista? Did you have long-lasting relationships?”

He tilted his head. “My high school sweetheart lasted two years. But after that, no, not really. Why?”

“I’m curious about your life, that’s all.”

“All right. That’s fair.” He let out a long breath and leaned back. “Tell me about your love life.”

She burst out laughing. “I can’t say I’ve ever had one.”

“You’re thirty-five years old. You must have had relationships.”

“The longest boyfriend I’ve ever had lasted fourteen months. We broke up because he said I cared more about my family than him, which was true. I’ve tried dating apps and other such nonsense, but nothing sticks.” She shrugged before taking one small sip of her beverage.

“And in the last five years? Do you think of me at all when you’re with these other men?” He took her glass and set it on the table. Palming her cheek, he stared into her eyes, holding her gaze intently.

She wanted to look away but couldn’t break eye contact. It was too intense. Too real. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Because you’re all I’ve ever been able to think about. For the longest time, Emmett was the only one who knew about you, so people thought I was still twisted up over Krista. But for five years, it’s only been you.”

She blinked.

And blinked again.

She tried to find the words to respond. To tell him that she felt the same way, but they got jumbled somewhere in her chest, and all she did was make some weird grunting sound.

He ran a thumb across her lower lip. “I’ve thought about you every day. But because I didn’t trust myself after you left Key West, I deleted your contact information.”

“Why did you do that?”

He raked his fingers through his long hair and glanced at the ceiling as if the fan swirling around had the answers. “I did some not-so-cool things when Krista broke up with me.”

“Like what, exactly?”

“Like follow her and her boyfriend.”

At first glance, that felt creepy, but Shelby knew him, and he didn’t follow anyone without reason. “Why did you do that?”

“I have a jealous streak. I was obsessed with her. I couldn’t get over her.”

Shelby shook her head. “I don’t believe that’s the whole story. You told me she came in and out of your life. That she teased you.”

“That doesn’t give me the right to follow her.”

“No. It doesn’t. But you don’t do anything without a reason.” Shelby lowered her chin and raised a brow. “What did she tell you about her boyfriend?”

“It doesn’t matter. What I did was wrong.”

“I’m not condoning using your position as a private investigator to keep tabs on an ex, because that would piss me off. But it sounds like she was manipulative and lied to you. She made you believe something that wasn’t true so she could have her cake and eat it, too.”

“I agree, that’s true. Shedidlie to me. And her boyfriend—now husband—is a nice guy who married a woman with some serious issues.” Rhett rolled his neck. “However, I’m not proud of my behavior, and for a long time, I tried to blame it on Krista and the things she told me or the way she came in and out of my life. The bottom line is, I had an unhealthy attachment, and I needed to change things inside myself. When you drove away five years ago, I felt that same tightness in my chest. I knew there were things in your life that you were keeping from me. I could see them in your eyes. I felt them when we held each other late at night. I wanted to know what they were, but you never opened up to me, and there—”

“I could say the same thing about you.”

“That’s a true statement,” he said. “Because I’m pretty good at my job, and I knew enough about your life that I could have found you. I thought about it more than once. But do you see how that would have looked and felt for me, considering my issues with getting over Krista?”

“I do. But you’re not a stalker,” she said. “While what you did was wrong, if you’d wanted to find me, using your skills to do so, and were honest about it, do you see how that would have been different?”

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